Boobery

Boy, am I tired!!! I left Pittsburgh this morning at about 7:30 a.m. and got back into Philadelphia around 12:40 p.m. The ride was uneventful, thank the Universe! My drive into Pittsburgh on Sunday night started, as I had suspected, at 10:00 p.m., and I got into Chateau PamerSchulz at 3 a.m., but not before getting a speeding ticket on the Pennsylvania Turnpike! A state trooper clocked me doing 75 miles per hour in a 65 mph zone. I half suspect that he woulda let me off the hook had he not been either (a) a trooper-in-training or (b) on a ride-along with his supervisor, since he wasn't alone in the car. Oh well, at least it woke me up, right?

I got to lounge around all day with Buster, who is as cute as ever. I'm beginning to wonder about this dog, though. He's very nervous and really in need of attention - very, very whiny if one of his alpha dogs (Gavan or I) aren't around. It probably threw him that I had disappeared for a couple weeks, and then showed up again out of nowhere in the middle of the night. He surely was excited to see me. I think he had probably just begun to get used to the idea of Gavan being his alpha and then I disrupted that by coming back and spending a whole day with him. Poor puppy!

Oh, and by the way, how's this for the irony quotient for today: One of the reasons I went back to Pittsburgh (in addition to the opportunity to see Gavan and the puppy, of course) was to get the installation file for Paint Shop Pro® so that I could load it on my laptop and download pictures from the digital camera, right? Alas, dear reader, nothing is ever allowed to be easy. Totally please with myself, I burned the file onto a blank CD after figuring out how to work my computer's CD burner, and proceeded to download all the pictures from the camera and copy them onto a CD as well. I was just a CD burnin' fool. Well, I got the whole shebang back to Philadelphia, settled in at the laptop, popped in the CD into the drive... and discovered that (apparently) this version of Windows just doesn't deal well with the new writable CDs. Either that or I screwed up in burning these CDs. In either case, I'm still screwed. Guess I'm not so clever as I thought I was by half, eh? The plan now is to wait 'til the roommates go to bed this evening and then go online and download the evaluation version of PSP, and use that while I'm in Philly. It'll end up taking three or four hours, but what're you gonna do?

In a Hurry

I often go out of my way to claim I'm not one of those people who likes to wish his life away, living for the future. But today I have to say I'm kinda looking forward to the end of rehearsal. I'm driving back to Pittsburgh tonight to see Gavan and Buster. I'm surprised at how much I miss them both! Doesn't bode well, I think, for the time I'm going to be spending in New York!

I'm not sure what time we'll be finishing tonight... I'm guessing at around ten o'clock. We're running the show and should be done with it around 8:30 or so, so with notes, I'm thinking it's going to be around ten before I get on the road. If rehearsal runs much past 10:00, I'm not going to get back into Pittsburgh 'til after 3 a.m. That could turn out to be a hard drive.

Wish me luck, in any case!!!

Brain Dead

So here we are, several days later, and I think we're all brain dead. We're moving right along, of course, and we still have a week to go before we get to real previews. I still haven't had a whole lot of time to do any sightseeing and such. Must confess to being a bit tired. Hopefully that will change soon. The good news is that the rehearsal process continues to go well, and the cast is just plain great. It's just a joy to be working with such a talented cast.

I'm having one of those I-hope-I-don't-jinx-myself experiences. The last thing I want to happen is for me to go on and on about the folks that I'm working with and how good they are, only to be lambasted by critics once the show opens. Funny how we theater people are superstitious that way, ain't it?

Truth be told, I don't think there's really much of a chance of that happening.

A Week End & A Chocolate

You may have noticed a decided lack of photographs in the last couple of entries. Clever you. Problem is, in all the rushing around to get ready for the trip to Philadelphia, I managed to forget to load Paint Shop Pro onto the laptop, which means that I have no way of importing the photos from the digital camera to the computer. Aren't I silly? I'm planning a trip back to Pittsburgh after next Sunday's rehearsal, so I'll try to get that done while I'm there.

This first week of rehearsals has been fun but exhausting. The approach to the show that Aaron Posner, the director is taking is different from the other productions of Picasso that I've done. Those other productions stressed the comedy of the script - it's Steve Martin, after all - but Aaron's approach is much more about invoking the wonder of what the play is really about. It's really about the ideas and how excited all the characters are about all the ideas flying around.

Aaron expressed surprise that we had completely blocked the play and begun to get involved in detailed scenework by the end of the first week of rehearsal. But it occurred to me after he'd said so that it really shouldn't be a surprise at all - the show's really only around ninety minutes long, and we'd been rehearsing it 8 hours a day for 6 days. That's enough time for sixteen performances of the play.

Anyway, despite the long rehearsals, the work has been fun. Aaron's approach is forcing me away from the schticky stuff I do so well, and toward, for want of a better phrase, an emotional realism that's co-existing with the wackiness of the play.

The one bit of mixed news for the week is that the costume designer and Aaron have decided to go with my own hair and mustache for Einstein, as opposed to using a wig and a fake mustache. While this will prove to be much more comfortable for me in the long run, it's going to impact my plans to have my head-shots redone while I'm here in Philadelphia. That stuff'll just have to wait 'til I get up to New York City. I was hoping to hit the ground running when I got there, but those plans will have to be modified.

The rest of the cast is great fun to work with. With the exception of myself and two others, they're all local Philadelphia professionals, and each one is really good. Someday, I'm going to manage to get a snapshot of them so you can see them.

As we've been rehearsing so much, I've not had a chance to get to see as much of Philadelphia as I'd like, though that'll change once the show's gotten up and the run's begun. Actually, it might even change sooner. The rehearsal schedule for this coming week seems to be a little lighter. Today I wandered around the section of town known as Old City, and took a walk from the theater to the new actor housing that I'll be moving into later this week or early next (God willing!). I was told that it was a twenty minute walk to the theater, but I'm guessing that it's closer to twenty-five... maybe even thirty, if I take my time.

I also got to see Chocolat at the cinema today. I'm not quite sure what I was expecting, but I enjoyed it a lot. For some reason, through no fault of his own, I can't stop seeing Johnny Depp as the guy from 21 Jump Street. I think just by saying that, I'm dating myself. The film was directed by Lasse Halstrom, a director whose work I admire, but for some reason it seemed to me he slapped this one together rather quickly. Some of his choices of shots were a little jarring, I thought. And I didn't love the editing. Juliette Binoche was wonderful, as was Judi Dench. And I'd watch Alfred Molina read the phone book, to be honest. He give me hope that I can work someday. "Long live the character men!" I say.

First Day

Had the first rehearsal for Picasso at the Lapin Agile yesterday. Met the rest of the cast, and they all seem to be great. I have to try to remember to ask at today's rehearsal if they'll mind if I snap a few photos... or maybe I'll let that wait 'til I get to know them better. Perhaps that's best... not to let them know what a shutterbuggin' freak I am just yet.

First part of the day was pretty regular. We did the usual union business, got our scripts, et cetera, then sat down to read the play together for the first time. Afterward, our dinner break consisted of a meet & greet sorta thing for theater staff, donors and board members. That was kinda nice, even though those of you who know me know I tend to freeze up when faced with large groups of strangers.

After dinner, we went into the Haas Theatre and did another readthrough of the play, but this time all of those donors & board members were invited to watch. It was an unusual experience. I've never done anything like that before. It was kinda weird and kinda cool. Today should be even more interesting. The director, Aaron Posner wants to try something he's never done before, and that's to do a run through of the play with scripts in hand just to see where it goes. Yet another thing that I've never done before - but I think it's kinda neat... see what happens "organically."

Last night's rehearsal was unusual in yet another aspect - I can say definitively that it was the first time ever I've had a director break out a case of beer and sit the cast down to discuss the play over drinks right in the rehearsal hall. Everyone, of course, had opinions about what the play is saying, sometimes differing, but Aaron pointed out what I thought was key about the discussion, and that was that was that the best part of it was watching all of the ideas that had been propose bounce around in peoples' heads as they considered them. Very cool.

Well, I've settled into my digs for the interim period while the theater gets its new actor housing ready. They've leased a three bedroom home about 1½ miles from the theater, but it's going to take them a couple weeks to stock it with furniture and that kinda stuff. Eventually, Kate Norris and Youssef Kerkour and I (the out-of-towners) will be rooming together. So, for now, I'm staying with a popular local actress named Grace Gonglewsky who is a friend of Aaron's and has worked at the theater before. Actually, she's worked a great deal around Phildelphia. After we had a chance to get introductions outta the way and know a little bit about each other, Grace decided that I was the "her of Pittsburgh." Like me, she's stayed in her hometown and made a life as an actor here.

All in all, I'm enjoying my first few days in Philadelphia. I'm looking forward to using my free time to explore the city again. It's been over five years since I've been with any regularity during my SmithKline days (now they're GlaxoSmithKline). There's too much to see and not enough time to see it! With a rehearsal schedule of 2 p.m. to 10 p.m. each day, there's not a lot of spare time left over for other stuff - but I'm hoping that will change once the show is up and we're doing the run.

Jewtholic Mothers

Well, I find myself in Philadelphia. Great city. It's a really good thing, I think, that Jeff Bergman and I drove into the city on Sunday morning, rather that my original plans of driving by myself on Monday. Philly was hit with a snow storm overnight, and parts of the area I would have been driving through have gotten over twelve inches of snow. How crazy is that? Worst snowstorm this city's gotten in a while, I'm told. Which makes sense, since I've heard from more than one source that Philly is pretty consistently about 10° warmer than Pittsburgh.

I spent my first night in town with Jeff Bergman and his parents. What a delight they were. His mom especially is a sort of hyper version of the prototypical Jewish Mother. As the snow was falling, she was deathly worried about letting us go out. "Do you have a hat? Do you have a scarf? Where are your gloves?" It was like being home again. My mother is Catholic, of course, but Catholic Mothers learned their stock in trade from Jewish Mothers, and though it happens rarely, sometimes the student outperforms the master.

Blowout

Plainly, I'm an idiot. How I could ever believe that after fifteen years of working in and around Pittsburgh theater that no one would come to my going away party, I don't know. I was just struck by momentary panic, I guess. Fact is, my house was chock full of friends, so it was great. So great, in fact, that I had better never come back to Pittsburgh, 'cuz I can clearly never expect this kind of send-off again.

The evening actually started rather slowly - the first guest didn't make it 'til around 7:30 or so, and then no one Plainly, I'm an idiot. How I could ever believe that after fifteen years of working in and around Pittsburgh theater that no one would come to my going away party, I don't know. I was just struck by momentary panic, I guess. Fact is, my house was chock full of friends, so it was great. So great, in fact, that I had better never come back to Pittsburgh, 'cuz I can clearly never expect this kind of send-off again.

Much of the cast of Joseph... also came after their show - which is actually what happened with a lot of people. In the picture to the left (from the left): Joe Pedulla, a sometime houseguest, Chris Saunders, Danny Siford, Chris' girlfriend Becca (I hate myself for blanking on her last name), Tom Schaller, John Burja, Kevin Covert, and Amy Hartman, who's not in Joseph but somehow managed to turn up in this picture. Sort of a "Where's Waldo" thing. I think I just dated myself.

One of my favorite people in the whole world showed up for the party: Americus Rocco - a dear friend from waaaay back. If you take a close look at this picture, you'll see that Americus begins for us what was a recurring scene for the evening: Me taking pictures of my dearest friends when they were looking stoned out of their gourds. Next to Americus (who's on the right, by the way) is, of course, Gavan - looking pretty darn good, if I may say so. I didn't want to shrink that picture down too much, so you can click on it to get the whole effect.

A great surprise at the party was the appearence of John Gresh, with whom I had done The Colonel Bird. He's currently in the cast of The Playhouse's production of In the Shape of a Woman, and I had issued an blanket invitation to the cast, but only a couple made it, and he was one. In the picture to the left there, he's to the right of Marty Giles, another dear friend, who came with his girlfriend Gina Campell (you'll see her a little later). I just found out a day or so ago that Marty & I are going to be doing The Seagull for Pittsburgh Irish & Classical Theatre, which will be cool! I think it'll be the first time since Cyrano de Bergerac that we're working together and one isn't directing the other! It'll be fun to just be a couple of actors causing chaos for the director. Whoo hoo!

Speaking of directors we'll be causing trouble for, here's a picture of Andrew Paul, Artistic Director of PICT and the director of the aforementioned production of The Seagull that we'll be subverting. Andrew's on the left in this picture, and he's with another of the folks from Shape who came over after rehearsal - Ken Bolden. Ken's a great guy who I've only recently been able to get to know, but the good part of that is that he actually lives in New York City and we'll be able to get together once I make it up there after my Picasso gig at the Arden. I'm looking forward to getting to know him better.

Continuing in the tradition of making my friends look like total lushes, here's a picture of Laura Smiley and Doug Mertz. I'd managed to forget to take their picture during the party, so I had to snap a quick one as they were on their way out the door - hence the tired I-may-be-too-loaded-to-drive look. I can happily report that I'm certain they made it home safely! Actually, I think they look pretty good. Grad school is agreeing with Doug, I think - and how can you not love Laura in her faux-leopard coat?!? You should see that thing with the collar up around her head - all I could think of was, "Puppies! I want puppies!!!"

I spent so much of the evening running around, that I was actually pretty lax about snapping candids at the party, so it sort developed into a theme that I had to get people as they were leaving. Here's Nick Ruggeri, a man that many of you know from the Friends page, as he was packing it in for the night. Of all my friends, Nick's been the most vocal about not wanting me to leave, but he also (often in the same breath) tells me that he knows it's right. I can't tell you how grateful I am for the support of all my friends - I would never had made the decision to go through with the move had it not been for them.

Where was Buster during this big shindig, you're asking yourself? Well, funny you should mention it. He was making all sorts of new friends! One of his favorite was Americus, as you can see in the photo to the left. Buster jumped up into Americus' lap, and his only comment to the dog as I was about to snap this picture was, "Don't block my light." Actors. Gotta love 'em.

The evening wouldn't be complete without an appearence by my dear friend Doug Rees - also a staple on the Friends page. Here he appears on the settee with Marty Giles and Gina Campbell. Doug should be in New York City soon, too. Those of you who read this journal often know his lovely girlfriend Janet, who's currently living and auditioning there, and waiting for him to haul ass to NYC. Problem is, apparently he's a good actor - he keeps getting work. These people look pissed off and bored with each other, don't they? I don't think that's really the case; someone was saying something intriguing, apparently - and the picture was taken about ten minutes before the party finally broke up, sometime around 2:30 in the morning. I think they can be forgiven for looking a little hangdog. Doug had to get up this morning and drive up to NYC! I hope he's alright! Gee, can you guess where I was with the camera? Could I be bothered to move three inches and keep from seeing the flash in the window? Nope.

Here's a quick one of Tom Schaller taken around the same time as the picture of Doug, Marty and Gina. I think he had just finished a wrestling match with my dog. It was directly after this that he slipped into his famous (at least in Pittsburgh) impersonation of Doug. Friends, if you know Doug (and even if you don't) it's something to see.

Here's a great picture of some of my friends at the City Theatre. That's Lorraine Venberg, Patti Kelly, and Lorraine's husband Tom. Patti's the fabulous production stage manager at The City, and Lorraine is the resident costume designer - she did the incredible costumes for The Myster of Irma Vep, and it's she we have to thank for the pictures from the show that appear on the Show Pictures page!

I've saved my favorite picture for last. With apologies to all my other friends, this one picture contains some of the people who have most shaped my life over the past ten years, so I have to give special thanks to all of them. From left to right, you see Amy Hartman, Denise Pullen, Americus Rocco, and Bruce Hill. Amy & Denise you hear about a lot, in the Online Journal. But you don't get to hear so much about Americus, except for his blurb on the Friends page, and practically nothing at all about Bruce Hill, since I see him so rarely. Americus and I acted together just over ten years ago in a production of Lemon Sky done by The Upstairs Theatre, and it was really a seminal moment in my growth as an actor. It was one of the first times anyone cast me in a non-comedic role, and it was the first time I got to work with Americus, who is one of my heroes as an actor. I judge a lot of my work by standards that we set back then, and whenever I'm feeling like some piece of text is inaccessible or too difficult for me, I just remember the work we did on that show. I'm not even sure he's aware of just how high in my esteem he's held. So if I haven't told you, dear friend, now you know.

I first met Bruce Hill on the same production on which I met Amy & Denise. He was one of Denise's partners in Patina Productions, and he was one of those people, nearly fourteen years ago now, who gave me the encouragement and support to make the decision that I've put off all this time. Bruce is one of those no-nonsense WASPish Yankees who don't bullshit people - so I always knew I could count on him for the truth. And over the years he's been unstinting in his encouragement and criticism, and I'll always be grateful for both.

All in all, it was a wonderful party. I really regret that there were a lot of people who weren't able to make it, but in retrospect, I don't have the vaguest clue where we'd have put them. The house was jam-packed with people. I couldn't have asked for a better sendoff, and I hope everyone knows how grateful I was for it!!

Fear!

Well, it's about five mintues of seven on the night of my big going away party, and I'm having that "gee, what if no one comes" panic. Not that it'll be any great loss, since I'm throwing one of those BYOE (Bring Your Own Everything) parties, but still, it would be nice to think that people are going to miss me when I'm gone. I'll let you know what happens.